Door-operating mechanism



Jan.' 25",'1927.

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, an, 2 1927. J 5 A. CAMPBELL DOOR OPERATING MECHANISM Filed Sept. 15, 1924 L Topo t. N Mw WMM.. mi@ m. ,W s E /5//5' A TTORNEY Patented Jan. 25, 1927.

UNTE STATES PATENT FEQE.

ARGYLE CAMPBELL, F CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO ENTERPRISE RAILWAY EQUIPMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

DOOR-OFERATING- IfIECI-IANISTVI.

Application filed September 15, 1924. Serial No. 737,728.

My invention relates to improvements in door operating means for dump cars, and particularly the type adapted to deposit ballast between rail-s of a railwaytrack.

It is a specific object of my invention to provide operating and locking means for centrally disposed hopper doors and to adapt the said mechanism for operation from either side of the car. v

It is also an obj ect of the invention to provide means which will adord greater convenience to the operator in the operation of the dumping doors than it has heretofore been possible to obtain, at the same time 1nsuring great safety and more efiicient operation of such car.

Further, my invention resides in certain other details of construction such as will be more fully pointed out hereinafter.,

For a fuller comprehension of my invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawings, wherein Fig. 1 shows a transverse, vertical sectional view of a hopper ballast car having my improved construction embodied therein. Figure 2 is a vertical view section through one of the cross-beams corresponding substantially to the line 2-2 of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of a portion of the car as viewed .on a line 3-3 of Fig. 2. Figure l is a sectional plan view of a portion of the car corresponding` substantially toa line 1 4 of Fig. 3. Figure' is a partial sectional view, taken substantially on line 5-5 of Figure 4 showing in side elevation a portion of th-e car, which is partly broken away to disclose in elevation the operating shaft locking mechanism which is illustrated in the normally released position. Figure 6 is an enlarged view of the operating mechanism hanger and associated parts, asrviewed inFig. 3. Fig. 7 is a side view of the construction shown in Fig. 6 looliing in the direction of the arrows 7-7. l

My improved construction is shown as applied to a ballast car having a central longitudinal hopper. The car construction as shown includes side walls 10-10 reinforced at the lower margin by an angle member 11, sloping side floor sheets 12 and 13, and longitudinal sills 14--14 suitably braced by means of diaphragms 15 and 16. The said longitudinal sills 14.--14 are suitably tied together by means of transverse beam members, one

r of said members being indicated at 17. Be

tween the lower edge of the sloping Hoor 13 and the sloping floor 12, there is provided a dumping opening 18 whereby ballast or other dumpable material may be deposited on the road-hed indicated at 19, or betvvecn the rails 20 of the track. Said dumping opening 18 is adapted to be closed by a closure in the form of a pivotally mounted door 21 hinged at 22 adjacent the lower -edge of the sloping floor 13, said ldoor being connected to a longitudinally extending winding shaft 22, disposed on one side of the hopper` by means of flexible connections 23 each of which is adapted to wind on a` .drum 2li flXedly mounted on the shaft 22. The door closing and opening operation is effected by rotating the winding shaft 22. The latter is operated by means, including1 a worm 25, and a co-acting gear 26, on theV shaft 22, the same conventionally illustrated in Fig. 1. The worm andl gear mechanism ii preferably enclosed in a dirt-proof housing` 27 which is mounted on the transverse member 17 and secured to a transversely extending gusset member 28 connected to the adj acent longitudinal sill ltand to the sloping hopper sheet 12. The housing 27 projects partly within the car hopper structure and a shield 29 isincorporated in the car structure to protect the parts.

Rotation of the worm is effected by a transversely disposed shaft 3() extending through the worm 25, the worm being suitably connected with the shaft for rotation therewith. The shaft 30 extends entirely through the car, passing through the hopper and is disposed beneath the transverse beam 17, and thus adequately protected against bending .strains likely to occur due to falling loads in the car. The outer ends of said shaft are extended outwardly beyond the plane of the car side walls 10-10, bear ings being provided for the shaft in braclo ets fill-31. The ends of the shaft 30 pro ject beyond the brackets 31 and each of such projecting end portions is provided with shaft rot-ating means designated generally bv the reference character A, more fully described hereinafter. Inwardly of the car walls 10 there is provided locking mechanism for the operating'shaft, such mechanism preferably including a ratchet wheel 32 fixed to the shaft 30 and a co-acting pawl 33 for preventing retrograde movement of said shafta l As clearly shown in Figure l, the locking mechanism is duplicated at opposite sides of the car. Each pawl 33 has a lateral, cylin drical bearing extension 4l journalled in a bearing member 42, the pawl being thus mounted for pivotal movement. The pawls 33 at the opposite sides of. the car are connected for simultaneous movement by a shaft 40 extending from side to side of the car, each pawl being provided with an opening of square cross-section extending through the bearing member 4l and adapted to receive the corresponding squared end of the shaft. The pawls are prevented from displacement longitudinallv of the shaft by pins 43 extending through the shaft and the corresponding bearing members 4l. The shaft 40 is p refe 'ably supported between its ends by a plurality of bearing members 44 suitably secured to the beam member 17. As the pawls are disposed on the inner side of the car wall and thus obscured from view of the operator, means operable from thel provided with an elongated slot 34 within which a pin 36 fixed to the outer end of an arm works. The arm 35 in turn is fixed to a stub shaft 37 which is rotatably mount-ed in a bearing member 38, the latter being preferably formed integral with the bearing member 3l. An operating lever arm 39 is ixed to the stub shaft 37 for rotating the latter, the arm SQbeing disposed outwardly of the bearing 3l and beingl operable from the outside of the'car. It will be evident that upon moving the lever 39 from the position shown in Figure 3, to the position shown in Figure 5, the arm 35 will be swung to the right, rocking the corresponding pawl 33 and moving the sain-e out of engagement with the coacting ratchetwheel 32. As the pawls 33 at opposite sides of the car are both fixed to the shaft 40, the same will be rocked simultaneously, disengaging both from their co-acting ratchets. Although two sets of ratchet locking mechanisms are shown, it will be evident that it is within lthe invention to make use of but one ratchet looking mechanism for each winding means.

The shaft rotating means A are such as to provide for operation from either side of the car and are disposed on either end of the shaft 30, but inasmuch as the construc-4 tion of both ends is the same, a description vof 'one will Suttice. Each rotating means A is provided with a hollow socket portion 48 herein through which an operating tool or har 4f) is adapted to be inserted. Above the socket portion 48 and above th-e center of rotation of the shaft, as viewed in Fig. 3, between the side walls 47-47 of the hanger, a pawl is pivotally mounted on a pin or sleeve 51. The pawl 50 is of the double acting type and is adapted to be automatically pressed into yielding engagement with the ratchet wheel 45 by means of a spring 52 operating on plunger 53, bearing on the pawl, said spring and plunger being mounted in a chamber 54. As shown, the hanger is preferably formed in two sections united by rivets, as indicated at 55, and 56. As will be seen from Fig. 3, the socket portion 48 normally depends below the ear wall thereby permitting the insertion of the bar or operating tool 49 in a substantially horizontal plane. It will be noted that the socket is open at either end, thereby permitting the insertion of the bar from either end thereof, this being an important feature in the operation of ballast ears, inasmuch as it is usual for the operator to operate the dumping door of a ballasting car while the same is in motion, and it is, therefore, essential for the safety of the operator that the bar be inserted in the socket in such a direction that should he stumble and fall the car will a.

pull away from him and leave the bar in his hanc. The disposition of the pawl 50 in a different radial position to that of the socket portion with reference to the axis of the hanger provides a free and unobstructed space insuring quick and etlicient manipulation of the operating bar.

`Assuming the parts in position as viewed in Fig. 3, the operation of the device to effect unloading is as follows: The operator first rotates the lever 39 in a clockwise direcl tion, when the pin 36 will move in the slot 34, thereby lifting the outer end of the pawl 33 to the position shown in Fig. 5 when the angle between the slot 34 and arm 35 will be such as to permit the pawl to maintain an inoperative position with respect to the ratchet wheel 32. The operator then oscillates the hanger 46 and due to the interengagement between pawl 50 and the ratchet wheel 45, the shaft 30 will be intermittently rotated in a counter-clockwise direction which through the left hand worm associated therewith will impart clockwise movement to the shaft 22, as will be understood, and the door 2l will gradually open due to the weight of the lading thereon, the worm and gearing permitting the operator to hold the door at any desired angle and assuring perfect control of the discharging material.

The closing operation of the door is a reversal to that already described, the locking pawl being in position as shown in Fig. 3 and the position of the operating pawl 5() reversed to that shown therein. As hereinbefore pointed out, the operation of the locking device on leither side of the car also operates the corresponding locking device on the opposite side thereof.

While I have shown my invention as applied to a specific type of car, it is to be understood that the same is also applicable to various other types, as for instance, it may be applied to the center dumping doors of a car such as shown in my United States Letters Patent No. 1,568,553, granted December 1, 1925. I contemplate all constructions coming within the spirit and Scope of the claims appended hereto.

Wlhat I claim is:

l. In a' dump car' adapted to discharge ballast between the rails, the combination with a longitudinally arranged hopper, including a sloping side sheet extending to a point adjacent the longitudinal center of the car, and a dumping door forming the remaining portion 'of said hopper; of a longitudinal shaft disposed beneath said side sheet; connecting means from the shaft to the door; a worm gear wheel lixedly mounted on the shaft; a shaft having a worm adapted to mesh with the gear wheel, said shaft extending transversely of the car; shaft rotating means disposed upon the ends of the transversely extending shaft; and means operable from each sidev of the car for locking the transversely extending shaft.

2. In a car adapted to distribute ballast while in motion, the combination with a dumping door and operating` mechanism therefor; of a transverse shaft for controlling the said operating mechanism; ratcheting mechanism carried on each end of the shaft, each said ratcheting mechanism including a socket adapted to receive a removable actuating bar, said socket being so disposed that the bar may be inserted from either end thereof and limited relative movement between the car and socket permitted while said bar is in operative relation with the socket.

3. In a dump car adapted to distribute ballast while in motion, the combination withv a dumping door and operating mechanism therefor; of a transversely extending shaft adapted to operate said door operating mechanism; a ratchet wheel mounted Ion said transverse shaft; an oscillatable hanger having a lever receiving socket disposed in substantially the same plane as the ratchet wheel, said socket being open at either end whereby a lever may be inserted from either end and provide for motion between the socket and lever while maintaining operative relation between the said members; and a pawl connection between the hanger and the ratchet wheel.

4. In a dump car adapted to distribute ballast while the car is in motion, the combination with a dumping door and operating mechanism therefor; of a transverse shaft for controlling the said operating mechanism; ratcheting mechanism carried by said shaft; said ratcheting mechanism including a lever receiving socket adapted to be normally disposed in a substantially horizontal plane, said socket having open ends so as to permit insertion of a removable operating bar from either end thereof in such a manner that continuous rotary motion may be imparted to the transverse shaft by a series of oscillations with the bar maintained substantially in the direction of movement of the car whereby relative movement of car to the operator is permitted.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 11th day of September7 1924.

ARGYLE- CAMPBELL. 

